Final Fieldwork

Well, folks, we did it! Today, we completed our last fieldwork day here in good 'ol blazing hot, Middle of Nowhere, Glendale, Utah. And what a day it was: we began by collecting a few samples and making some measurements at a road-cut just east of Glendale. We manged to complete this section quickly and efficiently, so the day was off to a good start. But, as the sun continued to rise, our luck began to fail us. 

Re-thinking Talus Slopes

The day's plan seemed simple enough; after leaving the road-cut, we intended to drive out to Stewart Canyon, an area we had not yet investigated.We figured that this would be a long, but easy, hike, and then we could document fractures along the canyon walls of a more complex area. But problems arose quickly, when the nice dirt road we'd been following ended at a bit of a cliff. By peering carefully over the edge, we discovered that the actual vertical cliff-face was only about 6 feet tall. Below that, a large talus slope led down as far as the eye could see. Still, all of this seemed "hike-able" from our vantage point, so we began to climb down. After crawling down the short vertical cliff, we found the talus to be at a steeper angle of repose than we'd estimated; it was hard to stand up without sliding several feet down-slope. It was quickly decided, after a unanimous vote, that the trail (or lack thereof) was impassable, and we decided to return to the car; we'd hiked all that way with no exhilarating reward.

Re-evaluating the talus slope

Back up the slopes we went, to find the car. Although there are some who enjoy hiking just for the views, we had come for the structural geology, and we were carrying large, heavy packs full of tools - we were a bit perturbed at the turn of events. By the time we reached the car, morale was low. Since we still had lots of daylight left, we re-grouped and decided to try again, this time back at Red Hollow Canyon, where we began our fieldwork a week earlier.

Plan "B"

So, plan "b" went like this: at Red Hollow Canyon, we were going to take core samples and hand samples of the rocks we'd seen earlier. To get core samples, we packed a large drill, which was a modified gas-powered chainsaw with 10 gallons of water to cool the drill bit. This motorized tool would allow us to get cylindrical samples of rock. These cylinders would eventually be turned into slices so thin that light passes through, which can then be analyzed under a microscope. 

Out to the trail we lugged the big drill, along with water tank to cool it, only to find that the chuck on the drill was full of sand and wouldn't close. Yet again, our plans were foiled! We decided that, even without the drill, we could go on and collect hand-sized samples. Therefore, while Ben went to the hardware store, to try to fix the drill, we, budding geologists, began our second hike of the day.

From where we began our hike, it was easy to see the cliff we needed to reach in order to take a hand sample. "This will be easy," we all thought. But then, about five minutes into the hike, we hit the trail we needed to ascend: a steep, 70% grade slope of loose sand. Undeterred, we trudged and slogged up and up. The going was incredibly slow, but we, after 20 rest stops, finally reached the outcrop and took our samples.

Meanwhile, we got word on our hand-radio that Ben had fixed the drill and was taking core samples in another part of the canyon. Since we were finished, some of us went to go help Ben, and although that meant another hike, we were eager to go, since it wasn't a sandy trail. 

We finally located him, and with the core samples in hand, and we acted on our burning desire to get back to the luxury of our campground and have dinner.

So, that's it! That's the last story from the field. Tomorrow, we will spend the day organizing, backing up data, cleaning, and packing, and when things inevitably do not fit, we'll re-pack. Then, early on the morning of July 1, we will head back to Trinity University, where our lab work will begin. 

We hope you've enjoyed our tales from the field, and if we ever get the chance to meet, we'd love to hear your impressions. Hard-bound copies of our stories will not be available, but feel free to embellish and re-tell our stories to family and friends.

-The Budding Geologists.

Field Tip of the Day: "Rock families" -When you're stuck in the field for weeks at a time with a small group of people, be sure to develop inside jokes and bizarre references to common culture.  For instance, when hiking in the field, we commonly checked under large rocks to make sure there weren't any beasties to surprise us.  However, we were occasionally surprised when a small rock peeked out beneath the boulder; inevitably, one of us would quietly murmur, "Oh, my...that rock had a child..."